February25, 2019

Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) and House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-KY) today issued the following joint statement in response to an op-ed from Russ Vought, acting director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, announcing that the upcoming Trump budget will rely on a dishonest scheme to massively increase defense discretionary spending through the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund while simultaneously calling for cuts to non-defense investments.

“The President’s budget will apparently rely on a giant OCO gimmick to prop up defense spending. If true, this is nothing more than a blatant attempt to make a mockery of the federal budget process, obscure the true cost of military operations, and severely shortchange other investments vital to our national and economic security. Rather than being honest and responsible about his budgeting, the President is choosing to deceive the American public yet again. Democrats will reject this cynical proposal to flout the basic principles of open and honest governance and will instead—with full transparency—pursue a course that invests in our national priorities and makes us stronger both at home and abroad.”